BJP prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi waves to the crowd assembled for his road show prior to filing his nomination papers at Vadodara. (HT Photo)

Cops from over half a dozen states complained about it to the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) during a meeting recently, police sources told Hindustan Times.

“During a meeting chaired by Union home secretary Anil Goswami on March 29 to review security of political campaigners, police officials from around half a dozen states said Modi was not Prime Minister yet but his security detail was already behaving as if they were from the Special Protection Group (SPG), the force that guards the PM and his immediate family. But they (Gujarat police officials) lack the finesse and professional attitude of the SPG,” an official who attended the meeting said on condition of anonymity.

The meeting was called after the BJP made a representation to home minister Sushilkumar Shinde about security threats to its leaders during campaigning.

Cabinet secretary Ajit Kumar Seth then told the home secretary to call a meeting of all states to review the overall security measures for poll campaigners.

“The state police officials were so annoyed with the attitude of some Gujarat police officials who accompany Modi during his rallies that the meeting became completely focussed on the security of the Gujarat chief minister,” said the official.

“One after another, participants from the state police castigated the Gujarat police officials travelling with Modi for what they termed as abrasive behaviour.”

Modi is currently one of the most heavily guarded people in the country, especially after serial blasts during his Patna rally last October.

Gujarat police additional director general (intelligence) Pramod Kumar could not be reached for comment.